It’s taken me a couple of days to cool down from the ass kicking the Seattle Seahawks took at the hand of the Dallas Cowboys. Even though the game ended in a touchdown difference, Seattle was outplayed at almost every position. At one point in the game the camera showed the Seahawks sideline and the players did not look like they wanted to be playing in this game. It’s sad to say but they looked like they lost their will to fight. The fire, passion and energy which they played with last season was and has been lacking. Doug Baldwin looks like the only guy left who actually gives a damn. I didn’t appreciate his meltdown at Russell Wilson on the sidelines or his post-game comments because both were so public and that stuff should be taken care of behind closed doors. However, I did appreciate his honesty, intensity and show of emotion. Wilson will never be the rah-rah kind of leader and that’s fine with me but their needs to be someone who will get the guys blood pumping and adrenaline running before the game. Last season Earl Thomas was that guy but this season he hasn’t been talking as much. There just doesn’t seem to be an emotional leader on this squad. I’m not saying they were bad moves but losing veterans Chris Clemons and Red Bryant have clearly left a void in the locker room. Both were “old heads” and people the younger players looked up to and went to for advice. The Seattle Seahawks have as much if not more talent than most teams in the NFL but they are lacking a true leader and a cause to rally behind.

The game started off pretty well for Seattle, the 12th man was it’s usual noisy self and Doug Baldwin blocked a punt which I haven’t seen in a very long time. At this point I thought it was going to be a blowout due to the mystique of Centurylink Field. Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys proved me wrong. The Cowboys 3rd drive of the game started at their own 5 yard line but they took up almost 10 minutes and kicked a FG. This drive worried me because the Hawks could not for the life of them get off the field. The Cowboys methodically drove down the field mixing a few short passes with a heavy dose of DeMarco Murray. So far this season I believe he has been the MVP, 6 straight games of 100+ rushing yards is very impressive. Their offensive line was driving back Seattle most plays and opening up running lanes for Murray. The Seahawks pride themselves on playing physical but Dallas was pushing them around with relative ease. The play of the game happened on 3rd and 20 in the 4th quarter when Romo eluded Bruce Irvin’s pass rush and somehow found Terrance Williams for an improbable 23 yard gain. After that play Seattle’s defense was carved up by Murray who ended up scoring a TD and putting the Cowboys ahead for good.

The Seahawks offense was a train wreck most of the game. Going against at best a mediocre Dallas defense I was expecting a lot of Marshawn, some Percy Harvin screen passes and jet sweeps (ugh), Doug Baldwin sideline catches, Jermaine Kearse down the seam, a couple short passes to Luke Willson and possible a deep pass to Ricardo Lockette. Instead all I got were behind the line of scrimmage Harvin plays, which resulted in 3 catches and 0 yards, 11 touches for Lynch, which is no where near enough, and the tight ends (Willson and Cooper Helfet) combined for 3 catches and 18 yards. Baldwin and Kearse pieced together decent days but both had big drops at crucial moments. Overall the Seahawks offense ran 48 plays for a measly 206 yards. I went back and looked at Lynch’s first 5 games of the 2013 season and he had 96 carries for 410 yards and 3 TD’s, through 5 games in 2014 he has 79 carries for 367 yards and 3 TD’s. So he hasn’t gone down in production too much he just has a few less carries per game but the production can be deceiving.  In the losses against San Diego and Dallas he averages 8 carries for 48.5 yards. In 2013 he had less than 15 carries only 1 time, this has already happened 2 times in 5 games. I don’t know what’s going on with Darrell Bevell and the play calling but Lynch needs more touches.

Back in Week 2 the San Diego Chargers created a blueprint on how to beat Seattle, win the time of possession, keep the ball away from the Seattle offense and wear down the Seattle defense. The Chargers had the ball for 42 minutes and 15 seconds converting 10 of 17 3rd down chances. They put up these amazing numbers without much of a running attack but Philip Rivers made all the right choices in the passing game. He figured out Seattle’s coverage and attack down the seams with Antonio Gates and checked down to the receiver out of the backfield. Both of these options were extremely effective and tired out the Seahawks defense. In this game, Seattle only had the ball for 17 minutes and 45 seconds with Marshawn Lynch only receiving 6 carries. Against Dallas, Seattle only had the ball for 22 minute, 21 seconds with Lynch rushing 10 times. The almost 2-1 time of possession for opposing offenses mixed with the lack of touches for Marshawn Lynch add up to the Seattle defense having to work harder for a longer period of time. Pair this fact with the loss of some key veteran depth and you have a possibly bad situation. When Byron Maxwell went out with the calf strain the Seahawks had to bring in someone named Marcus Burley to play opposite of Richard Sherman. Last season they had so much talent as well as depth; Maxwell, Walter Thurmond and Jeremy Lane all had to fight over playing time after Brandon Browner was suspended. This lack of depth has caused one good thing to happen. Sherman now has to go against the opposing teams best wide receiver for the foreseeable future. The question about who is the best cornerback in the league (Patrick Peterson, Darrelle Revis, Joe Haden or Richard Sherman) will be a step closer to being answered.

I really hope the Seattle Seahawks can turn this season around and have at least a chance to defend their Super Bowl title. Winning back to back titles is extremely difficult and has only been accomplished by 7 NFL teams, twice by the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the beginning of this season I thought the Seahawks had a good chance at repeating due to their ability to run the ball and play defense. So far it’s been an up and down season for them but if they can just get Marshawn Lynch rolling and the defense can weather the early season injuries and start to force some turnovers then I believe Seattle will be able to rebound from these early season disappointments and make another run at Super Bowl XLIX.